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Title: Seven Strategies in Every Best-Seller: A 186-Page Guide to Extraordinarily Successful Writing by Tam Mossman ISBN: 0-9632947-1-7 Publisher: Tiger Maple Press Pub. Date: April, 1998 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: An unpleasant surprise!
Comment: With the author's thirty years of experience as an editor and three five-star reviews showing on Amazon, I expected a good book. What I received was a book that I would have definitely rejected if I was an editor.
The material was VERY disorganized and confusing. The name-dropping was constant, assuming that I was aware of 'this' agency and 'those' scenes from 'that' famous book and could therefore understand his examples and allusions with no explanation. (And I'm a librarian with master's degrees in both Library Science and English Lit!)
I read it through but still have no idea of the 'seven strategies' because they were never stated clearly. The first one--the Paranoia Strategy--seems to be totally misnamed since it refers to tension and suspense, not an unreasonable sense of fear that is a psychological problem for many. There were numerous typos and sentence structure problems that a good editor would have picked up.
Turned out that the book was totally self-published. I expect that the reviews that gave him five stars were also self-published or at least written up by cronies. A regular publisher would not have touched this with a ten-foot pencil!
I strongly advise AGAINST purchasing THIS book! Amazon has several other great books on the subject such as my favorite, Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Al Zuckerman (Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books. 1994), that fulfill the promise of Mossman's title much more competently.
Rating: 5
Summary: Get Ready for Greatness!
Comment: What sets Mossman's book apart from the pack is that it's the best summary of seven simple things that every best-selling book has (and that non-best-selling books lack) I've ever seen in one place. As Mossman points out, even the best marketing plans in the world can't compensate for a book that bores readers. Readers have straightforward expectations from books they can't put down -- and Tam does a first-rate job of clarifying what those expectations are, so any writer can begin to see their manuscript from the reader's point-of-view.
Mossman's enthusiasm for good writing imbues his book with a high-energy buzz that I find invigorating before each editing sessions with one of my manuscripts. I wolfed down his book in one fast sitting, and now savor it at random points by flipping it open and contemplating anew one of his writing revelations. The seven strategies seem deceptively simple, and in that simplicity lies elegance and the road to success.
I feel Mossman's book has been unfairly criticized for being less useful to non-fiction authors. As an author of two forthcoming books, one fiction and one non-fiction, I find Mossman's points equally valid for both genres. SEVEN STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER provided me with the epiphany that there is a main character in my non-fiction book, and she is ME! This simple but powerful point is transforming my factual manuscript into a book with my story forming the main story line throughout the book.
I am very excited to see the huge difference in readability that my book is undergoing as I edit it using Mossman's tips and pointers -- it's had a makeover from textbook to page-turner, and I love it!
Whether you are staring at the first blank page of your new manuscript, or desire to make an existing book much more readable, I give SEVEN STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER my highest recommendation.
Rating: 5
Summary: A must-read for all writers!
Comment: If you want to make it as a writer, you need to read this book. It's fascinating and inspirational. The seven strategies can be worked into any novel (or non-fiction book) without compromising the story you're looking to tell. In other words, the strategies will not turn your writing into a boring paint-by-numbers exercise. They will help you punch up your writing so you'll tell better stories. This doesn't mean you'll automatically start churning out bestsellers, but at least you'll have a leg up on the competition. This book belongs on every writer's reference shelf.
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Title: How to Write Killer Fiction: The Funhouse of Mystery & the Roller Coaster of Suspense by Carolyn Wheat ISBN: 1880284626 Publisher: Perseverance Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life by Noah Lukeman ISBN: 0312309287 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger ISBN: 0805011714 Publisher: Owl Books (NY) Pub. Date: 01 July, 1990 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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